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Top 5 Jobs for Retired Nurses – 6/12/2013

Finding the perfect job for a retired nurse begs the question: why did he or she retire? A nurse who retired to get more time for herself will seek different employment options than a nurse who simply retired because he's finally earned that sweet pension. Options for retired nurses span the gamut of time commitments and compensations, especially for the job seeker who's willing to get creative.

Low Stress, Lower Action Positions

Retired nurses can often find low-stress employment at home health agencies close to their homes. These situations provide a great change of pace from noisy hospital wards and some nurses may even decide to only work one shift a week. Home health care has a 70 percent expected growth outlook, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many agencies are employing and training entry-level aides with high school degrees. These agencies would love trained nursing retirees to step in and help them with qualified patient care.

Retired nurses may also enjoy substituting for school nurses or even teaching. In Stafford County, Virginia, substitute nurses may earn $160 a day--no small change, certainly, for dealing with generally run-of-the-mill child injuries. Retired nurse practitioners or even RNs may find positions to teach sciences or even basic nursing classes at universities and community colleges--both opportunities that give nurses access to research or writing positions. Retired nurses will also find that sites like about.com or scripted.com really want their expertise in ghost-blogging or writing white papers for medical companies.

Higher Stress, High Action Positions

3. Traditional Nursing Re-entry

It's no secret that many nurses love their jobs; RNs, who on average earn just over a third what doctors earn, also report a 74 percent job satisfaction rate compared to 54 percent for doctors. For the retired nurses who never really wanted to retire, there's always a local hospital or clinic that will appreciate someone to work their high volume hours or train new staff.

4. Forensic Nursing

For some retired nurses, leaving a hospital-based nursing career could always mean the start of a new adventure in forensic nursing. Forensic nurses meet interesting people all the time, providing healthcare for criminals and victims of crimes while collecting valuable medical evidence. This kind of re-entry will require that the nursing job applicant has kept her license up-to-date with all the necessary continuing education credits.

5. Changing the World

For nurses who retired for a change of scenery more than a change of pace, there's great need all over the world. Some people wait all their lives for a special 'calling' or 'inner pull' before trying international medicine, but most fail to realize that the need is the calling. Retired nurses have a wealth of experience at their fingertips, and many have more emotional steel than brand-new nurses who set out for international medicine at the get-go. Pair that talent with millions of people all over the world without access to healthcare, and imagine the consequences. Consider joining a UN, WHO, or religious international operation today. Local free clinics also crave volunteers, and many retired nurses find themselves much more satisfied in their volunteer work than they felt in years of pay. Whatever a retired nurse may choose for re-employment, it's important that she never fall into the trap of believing that age can diminish her potential: with connections and expertise at her fingertips, every retiree has the ability to make an enormous impact for generations to come, and the world is hungry for healing.